Review: Liese Bubble Hair Dye in Dark Chocolate

As promised last month, here's the review for Liese Bubble Hair Dye in Dark Chocolate.

I got mine from Watsons for RM38. I chose one of the dark shade in hope that I could hide the black roots and so that there wouldn't be much contrast with my already dyed portion. It didn't turn up quite the way I want it though. Read on for results.

A little something about the Liese Bubble Hair Dye I got: I realized that it now comes in an improved formula. Its new ingredient include honey that helps to keep hair moisturized and hydrolyzed silk to protect the hair.

Also, this time the after-dye hair treatment now comes in a friendlier amount compare to what they provided previously.

Anyway, I did a quick test before dye-ing my entire hair just for precaution sake. I would recommend doing the test for these reasons:

1. You've experienced allergic reaction the last time you dyed your hair, which wasn't fun at all, really.

2. You haven't tried this brand hair dyed before or in my case, it's been 2 years since I last use Liese Bubble Hair Dye.

Plus, most of the stuff for the test is available from the kit so you only need to prepare cotton buds and the test won't even take a minute.

I did my test_albeit only for 24 hours than the recommended 48 hours_ and thank god I'm not pregnant didn't experience weird mutation whatsoever on my arm. So yes, I gave myself an 'OK' to proceed.

Now, for the results!

Before:

Here's my hair before they're dyed_still in copper-ish orange:

After:

This is what my unruly hair looked like after dyeing. The photos are taken during CNY_just a couple of days after I had them dyed. Happy me was happy ↓

They're now a few shades darker and have a reddish tone instead of the previous copper one. I really like the color but it didn't do much in softening up the contrast *sigh*

BTW, I wanted to take another photo to show what they look like now but I look crappy in all the recent shots. Even photoshop didn't help much so forgive me (≥.≤)

Anyway, here's what I've concluded about Liese Bubble Hair Dye:

What I like about it

♥ From previous experience, pretty shades of color that last. And I haven't notice any fade of color yet.

♥ The newly improved formula doesn't have horrible ammonia smell.

♥ Non-drippy bubble foam which means less fuss and mess.

♥ The color is quite even.

♥ Hair feels soft and smooth after dying.

What I dont't like about it

♣ Didn't do much to cover up my black roots (≥x≤)

It's been a month since I've dyed my hair, I'm tempted to get my roots fixed, maybe another shade of brown(=A=) Goodness, dye so often by the end of the year I probably would have tried 50 shades of brown HAHAHA

Ending this post with a photo of some of the Hada Labo products I've got in my beauty stash. Besides the Tamago Hada lotion(middle), the rest are gifts I've received early this month(๑>◡<๑)♡

I'll be reviewing the TamagoHada Lotion and Air BB Cream soon so if you're interested in either products, stay tune v(≥vO)

Dyed my hair myself! A Review of Liese Creamy Bubble color in Antique Rose & Classic Brown

This gotta be the most colorful year for my hair after my abstaining from dyeing my hair for the past years! As you've guessed, I decided to do it myself after the brown pink part of my hair faded into bright, bleached blonde which I didn't quite like. I was opting to go back to the saloon but decided it's a waste of money and that I may not enjoy being disappointed when the color fades even if I don't wash my hair often!

Then I was considering colored shampoo but not getting positive views about using colored shampoo to color the bleached part. Shampoo with dye are meant to bring out your dyed hair and not to color hair so the Internet says. And then it occurred to me, why not try Liese? I've used this years-s-s back (even reviewed about them) and now, they have a selection of new colors so it is quite exciting!

This is the now available selection of Liese Creamy Bubble hair dyes available almost everywhere in Malaysia.

When I bought Liese Creamy Bubbles in Antique Rose, I simply wanted a dark brown color that would totally cover my bleached-color mane hair. I super love the entire selection under "Warm Brown" especially Rose Tea Brown and Black Tea Brown from "Natural Brown". Maybe I'll try rose tea next

I wanted a otona/mature kinda brown without losing the fun, so Antique Rose it is! Which is kinda surprising considering I have been against browns with red/orange/yellow base. They don't look that nice on me and appear... everywhere in the street LOL. Just very common-lah. Partly, I'm feeling adventurous of late, even when it comes to my hair color also must be adventurous.

Back to Liese Creamy Bubble (ShopeeMY | Amazon), if you want to try Liese for the first time, you can't go straight to dyeing your hair _ performing the allergy test is a must, at least 30 minutes to 48 hours prior! I'm lazy so I did a quick test LOL. You also need to have an old tee or towel to keep your shirt spotless, hair clips to section your hair for better result if you rajin, moisturizer on your skin to prevent the dye getting on (I skipped this), music on and a large mirror in from of you. Don't forget to do this in a ventilated room, the smell of the chemical is really strong!

Since I am only dyeing the top of my crown, I made sure to tie the bottom section and just divided the hair to left and right parting before further dividing into three without using hair clips but when applying the color. After I made sure to rub the color in at all sections of the hair only I did add more foam and massage before leaving them for 15 minutes. The instructions mention thirty but I was pretty sure I spent more than 20 minutes only applying on my hair.

Plus, my scalp was feeling itchy which is normal when dyeing your hair since the chemical 'burn' your scalp. When I say 'burn', it really is not as bad as it sound. If it hurts, then it IS a sign to wash off! Happened to me once in a saloon. Once the time's up, I washed the color off and then applied the treatment (this step is essential!).

Speaking of Liese's hair treatment, if Liese is ever going to launch hair treatment, I'm oh-so-o-o going to buy bottles and bottles of them! It smells so sweet and one-time application felt like 1-month's worth of hair treatment. My hair is super crazy soft after using this!

Tips for proper coloring:

1) Rub the color into your hair, just like how stylists at saloon does it. While it may sound unnecessary since the hair dye is foamy, just think of this as a step to get more even colors at all lengths of your hair and 

2) Pay attention to the roots, especially more near your ears or the top of the forehead. Fringes too!

3) Focus on the back of your crown too.

4) Purchase two boxes if you have long, below the shoulder-length hair. While I noticed I have more that enough this round, it's good to have just in case you ran out of the dye.

Let me just get straight into the result!

First, here's the before selfie. I told you it's bad.

After coloring~~

I purposely waited a week before I post this review to check if the color faded and it did fade. The red hint of color was not visible aftre the first week, and by the end of the third week, my hair is back to my bleach color. I really do think this is due to tme bleaching my hair and I'm starting to hate that. On the other hand, my originally brown-from-black hair still have some brown but I don't know which shade is this, it's definitely not in reddish hue. I came to a conclusion this whole Liese hair color  experiment is sort of a failure because there's no way of me telling if the formula do stay if my hair were black.

The Verdict _ for one it is cheap - I got mine for RM24 from Guardian (NP RM40-ish) and application is easy-peasy! Color is close to what is shown in packaging at least for the next few days to a week and unique. I can tell you for sure the color DON'T stay on bleached hair with daily washing using hair color protecting shampoo...

The other good side is the hair treatment provided is amazing! I will want to try the same color again when my bleached hair's grown out.

~♡~

Less than two weeks later the color faded. I really do think bleached hair don't hold colors well. Because I still dislike walking around with my head bleached blond *roll eyes* I went ahead and bought another Liese Creamy Bubble in Classic Brown this time.

I dyed my hair the morning before attending my friend, Nicole's wedding cause I wanna look good vain lol. Only after I washed my hair I noticed instead of brown I got dark gray hair.... Shocking cause I know when it fades I'll get granny hair sigh..

Hair color the first few and second day after dyeing (which is really just past weekend). Thankfully, the color turned out more brownish than gray pheww

Day 1

Day 2

This is the hair color a week later (last weekend).

IMO darker shade held on longer albeit still fading... At this point I simply can't wait for the bleached part of my hair to grow out. 

Self-dye my hair again: a Herbatint Permanent HairColor Gel in M5 Light Mahogany Review

While I was window-shopping, I discovered Herbatint's Permanent HairColor Gel by chance at one of BMS Organic's pop up store. I rarely step foot inside BMS Organic so was not aware they carry hair care range. Pretty interesting. Out of curiosity, I decided to give it a go and at the same time I want to look nice for a friend's wedding but did not want to spend in the saloon because I don't think it is worth it now with some part of my hair still bleached. Also 'cause dyes don't stay long on bleached hair, so troublesome!

At just RM70.75, this is slightly twice more expensive than Liese's Creamy Bubble Color but still affordable. I chose M5 Light Mahogany (Amazon), my favorite shade of reddish brown!

Only after I have purchased the box did I noticed they do not come with a brush! Apparently, there is a separate Herbatint Kit which consists of a reusable cape, bowl and brush which BMS Organic doesn't distribute.. Off I went searching in every Daiso, Yubiso, Watsons, Guardians before finding one at Aeon Wellness. Who else can't find things especially when you need them?


It does comes with a pair of gloves attached to the back of the instructions.

 I started off with mixing the solutions into the bowl by sliding them off the brush. Initially, I used only half thinking that will be enough but obviously my hair is so long and thick I ended up needing to use the whole bottles. Those with shorter hair will find half enough to cover.

One hour later with the red jell-o dripped all over the floor and all over my hands, neck and forehead, I looked like I was ready for Halloween. No photos cause very uglylah.

The whole painting my own hair process took me about 40-45 minutes to apply the dye making sure I blasted the music to kill boredom. Then just chill reading manga for another approximately 40 minutes before washing it off. By then the dye has harden slightly and my hair felt ridiculously dry I can barely comb through. Took maybe 10 minutes to wash everything off before applying half sachet of shampoo (it's too much!) and the entire sachet of cream (this one not enoughlah). That all at least 2 hours.

I gotta mention bout the cream, which was the game changer! My hair went from course to soft again in seconds after application! Though since creams are only to be applied at the ends, only 2/3 of my hair felt smoother. To fix that, I finished off with massaging my new hair cream, Kosenze Professional's Ocean Miracle Spray from Hair Zone at RM69 all over my crown and my hair felt better again.

I know these days I have been spending a lot for my hair but that is because my hair is one of my biggest annoyance. They're course, unruly and everything! Rather than spending hundreds of ringgit _ which can cost up to RM400 to RM700 or more in a single visit doing one time treatment at saloons, I would rather spend RM300  or way less for products which can last me months!


So here is a pic I took in a rush right before getting into business! You'd notice I have three tones on my hair _ black, my last saloon-dyed mahogany shade and the bleached ends.

Second day after dyeing my hair

By the way, I will keep sharing my after-a-few-week/month photos in this section to update on how the color is holding up after a while. If you are interested to try Herbatint's Permanent HairColor Gel, you can KIV this post for reference. Otherwise, I will try to update on my almost-inactive Facebook Page as well.

{this section for updates}


One week later~ Trying to smile but I'm still awkward with selfie-taking so ignore the awkwardness

6th Dec 2018: Turns out they do sell the Royal Cream for Rm61.30 at BMS Organic! KIV-ing for future when my hair treatment runs out. Shampoo's Rm51.90 if you're wondering.




~♡~

The Pros

You can divide the chemicals to use for two applications!
Contains organic ingredients
Can experiment with mix-and-matching colors (Say what?!)
Not as pungent as saloon's hair dyes or Liese's
Hair dye (or jell-o) slides easily
The Light Mahogany shade actually covers bleached hair
Color is permanent
Comes together with a sachet of shampoo and cream which smells so good. Plus, the cream is oh-so-amazing!

The Cons

Dyeing kit (cape, bowl and brush) except gloves is NOT included and unavailable in BMS Organic
May take some time to get the hang of it
I missed out some strands of hair
Applying the dye by yourself can be a messy affair!
Some hair fall because hair becomes so dry after dyeing
Extra post-treatment required


To summarize these, I can say the pros definitely outweigh the cons. I especially love how the color turned out though I wish they were lighter but I know it is because my original black hair. Maybe the color will tone done after some more washes. Process-wise, it was troublesome and I missed out some section of my hair but still achievable to apply the dye. If you are DIY-inept, just get your fam or girl pals to help!

drugstore hauls~

Konnichiwa~!

Apologize for the week long hiatus. I've been busy doing 1001 stuff at the same time and helping my parents with house cleaning for the Chinese New Year~ So much that I've practically slump dead at the end of the day...(,XAX),

This evening I had some time off so after cleaning I went drugstore shopping~ As a reward for myself:P Actually it's more like a reward for 1 year of beauty blogging.

Yessie, it's officially 1 years as of this month!! (^O^)/ Thank YOU so much to those who has been following and reading my reviews and other blog posts. For that, you are freaking awesome! Thank you!!

Back to my drugstore haul LOL. Got myself the HadaLabo AHA+BHA Hyaluronic Acid Lotion and Liese Bubble Hair Color in Dark Chocolate~ ♥ Checking these two items out from my wishlist. I'll be making reviews for each of them sometime this month and keep all of you posted on my twitter v(≥vO)

Besides those two, I got myself a lil' something else_Hello Kitty gacha(or capsule)~ Hello Kitty merchandises are making it on shelves in Guardian pharmacy after Sanrio Hello Kitty Town kick off last year in Johor.

Wanted the gacha especially since they were released cause they're just so cute. I can't remember the last time I collected gachapon. I'm not sure if I want to get all the designs but there're like 36 different designs altogether wth.

Comes with really addictive colorful candy that can give you diabetes hahaha.

Now, when can I find Rilakkuma gacha in Malaysia?

2013 Beauty Blogging Wishlist

(●^∇^●)/ Hooray to 1 year into beauty blogging! Well almost a year but yayy~!

Took a while to compose this post 'cuz I got a little carried away making this wishlist and then removing some stuff off this wishlist 'cuz I find the list of things I want ridiculously long. LOLOL.

Anyway, here they are~!

The list of cosmetics and skincare items on my wishlist I hope to get this year.

2013 Beauty Blogging Wishlist

1. Dolly Wink~!

 

1. Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in Black

2. Dolly Wink Eyeshadow in #02 Pink Brown

3. D.W. #09 Natural Dolly Eyelashes

(TvT)/ Dolly Wink products!

I actually want EVERYTHING from the Dolly Wink collection but here're the 3 things I want the most. Contemplating to buy the matsuge for so long d 'cuz they're expensive! And now they've even added more new items, including a couple of new lashes into their collection wtf.

I LOVE most of Dolly Wink falsies, but my favorite would be the otona_means 'adult'_ style No.9 Natural Dolly ♡ I also like No. 17 Diamond Dolly for top lashes and No. 14 Natural Cute for the bottom lashes. Yessie, I prefer the ones that give a more natural and mature look. Nevertheless, they still make wonders to the eyes!

 

Dolly Wink eyeshadow in Pink Brown (♡Q♡/)

Dolly Wink Makeup Tutorial scan from jmagazinescans.com

2. Eye メイク（Ｍａｋｅｕｐ）

 

1. Maybelline's Hello Kitty Hyper Curl Volum' Express Mascara

2. Majolica Majorca Lash Enamel Glamour Volume Mascara

3. benefit BADgal waterproof mascara[/caption]

I've thought of getting a new mascara considering I've used mine longer than I can remember.

They're all the mascaras I've been eyeing for a while already. Planning to get either one of these 'cuz I don't think I'll need them all at a time. That'll be quite wasteful!

3. TamagoHada Moisturising Lotion

 

HadaLabo Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Lotion

Still trying to finish the toners I have before I get this one (^v^人) Soon!

4. All things Snail

 

1. ElishaCoy Snail Skin Repairing Mask

2. ElishaCoy Skin Repairing Snail Cream

3. Love More Snail Healing Mask

4. My Scheming Snail Hydra Mask+ Snail Healing Cream

One of my latest beauty addiction_snail cream and face masks!

5. Foam Hair Dye

 

Schwarzkopf Blythe Foam Dye

I might need to shop for one of them soon, my hair needs touching up already (,=A=,) I really like the Schwarfkopf Fresh Light foam dye in Apricot but I'm worried I won't get the color I want considering my nao hair color's already so light. I'll settle for something darker first then probably go for the apricot-colored one.

I'm still deciding between Fresh Light Maple Brown, Liese and any dark chocolate shade dyes available in the pharmacy. ,(O~O,) Hmmm...

6. Lippies & Gloss

 

Canmake Lip Gloss in #05 Pink Holic Syrup

I have my eyes on these two shades: red and shocking pink(I think that's what you call it). I wrote about why I want this Canmake #05 Pink Holic Syrup gloss in my previous post. I remember seeing a Shiseido lipstick from Spring/Summer 2013 collection in this shade too. Super love it!!

So can't wait to get my hands on these items! (๑>◡<๑)♡ I really want to get them all at once leh but decide I'll work on writing reviews of items I already have_I still have a lot to go_then only reward myself with either one at a time!

Mise En Scene Hello Bubble in Whale Deep Blue & Dusty Ash Review

 

Early this year, I ordered several shades of DIY box dyes brand called Mise en scene x Blackpink Hello Bubble. This usually retails in the local pharmacy at RM49 but I found retailers at more affordable prices on ShopeeMY, at RM26-29 per box! Some of the colors that caught my eyes from the are Whale Deep Blue,  Dusty Ash, Mermaid Green and Metallic Ash. I also love the warm brown shades rocked by Jennie in Dark Choco and Choco Brown but these are shades of browns I had tried. I wanted something different this year!

I also found out there is two other range of Mise en scene x Blackpink called Hello Cream (Shopee MY) and Perfect Color (Shopee MY), both focuses on very pretty, natural, otona color shades. I had tried 9N Sand Gold from the Perfect Color range. You can read about it or watch the review here.

For this round, I decided to mix BOTH Whale Deep Blue and Dusty Ash. I have came across a TikToker who does that and love the result therefore I'm trying to emulate it LOL. Here is my video of me doing so:

Verdict? As you can see in the video, mine turn up a dark green. In fact, it is very similar to what's shown on Hello Bubble's Mermaid Green box! I suspect it's because my hair is orange and not yellow like the girl's in the TikTok video. Perhaps if I have toned my hair the color will turn out blue? While the color seem to compliment my skin tone, I don't think green is my shade WOOPS. Just me lah. I did get compliment on it.

The color is really vibrant and pretty IRL. HOWEVER! Very oddly, photos or videos don't do them justice! Several online reviewers share the same comments so I don't think it's just me. This is also a semi-permanent dye and lasted well over a month. I had thought like most colors other than brown shades, it'll probably be completely gone in two weeks but nope!

At present, they've lightened to ash green and I'm already noticing few sections of bleached hair visible. Still, it will probably be another week or so before they're completely gone (I think!) and I can move over to trying another shade.

Putting those aside, I find this brand is becoming a favorite. It's easy and not as time & energy consuming to apply. Of the many types of DIY hair dyes I have tried, I always love bubble dyes because they're less cumbersome and gives a much even result. I think Liese has found its competition! But yes, it does get all over my arms and face but they are easy to wash off. Hair dye brands usually changes their lineups every now and then but really wishing they could make some colors permanent! Hopefully, Mise En Scene comes out with more ashy colors too!

mini reviews: trying different soap bars

In my attempt to reduce plastic waste for the sake of dearest mother nature, I made a switch from liquid soap to soap bars! Mostly because I've read manufacturing liquid soap produces higher carbon footprint and we know plastic packaging aren't recycled much here. So happen that homemade soap bars are all the rage since last year and to cater to the rising demand, I am definitely seeing a lot of local handmade soap stores mushrooming (before Covid19 happened)! There are even classes which I was tempted to join but alas that didn't happen.

Instead I got myself a variety of soap bars to experiment on including locally homemade ones which can cost up to RM25 per bar from The Hive and Tanamera but the most expensive of them is the Ghar Soap, priced at RM35 per bar. This post is me reviewing each of them, took me awhile to go through them all LOL. Without further ado, let's get started!

#1 Ecostore's Lemongrass Soap

My favorite bar because I'm totally loving the lemongrass scent which smells amazing though unfortunately the scent doesn't stick. Priced at RM10.90 per bar at Aeon Wellness and even cheaper on Shopee.MY, this is about 3-4× that of other commercial brand.


Scent: ★★★★★
Sweat Level: ★☆☆☆☆
Long-Lasting: ★★☆☆☆

#2 Aleppo aka Ghar Soap

This was something I was super excited to try this out mostly because it is so unique and there was quite some hype about it among the minimalist and eco-loving community. Read somewhere on IG that someone even used this in replace of toothpaste and it worked. So die die wanna try and bought one from The Hive in SS2 for RM35 (online on Shopee.MY for RM33.90!). For the price, you get a chunk the size of my tiny palm can hold (Yes, I'm very detailed with the dimensions) wrapped up in a magazine page.

I'm sad to announce I find this bar of soap very disappointing. It's definitely a unique soap with interesting color _ golden on the outside and olive in the inside. Also, fair for the price, it's bloody durable thanks to the proportion of ingredients used and the amount of time to dry it out (up to a year!).

But it is oh-so-o-boring because there isn't a scent. Sure, I feel clean enough after using but because I'm so used to scented soap (think Dove, Shokubutsu and others), I feel the need to wash up with scented ones afterwards just because! On top of that, it doesn't lather on its own so not fun for me. It does lather with the help of a foaming net or used Liese hair dye dispenser (I just found out recently!). Still the foams are boringly scentless so much that I resorted to adding my Muji's Bergamot essential oil...

If you're not so particular about scent and wouldn't mind one-soap-for-all (you can wash your face and hair with them) and think want an economical and super minimalist soap, this is the one. You'd be impressed to know that even after soaking the soap pieces (they broke when I sliced it with a cleaver) in the bottle, they dont melt completely for weeks! 

There are also a bunch of articles that vouch for the benefits of using ghar soaps such as resulting to youthful feeling skin, great for eczema or fungal infection and even dandruff and a hundred other benefits apparently. I just don't think this is my thing... Quite a letdown considering how excited I initially was!

Scent: ☆☆☆☆☆
Sweat Level: ☆☆☆☆☆
Long-Lasting: ★★★★★

#3 Old Sage Soapworks' 
Grape Slushie & Roses on the Porch Soaps

Very fancy names, I know. Again, got them both from The Hive for RM25 per bar. I truly think these are made using hot process from the clumpier texture. I find these kinda messy, the dye stains my soap dish with bits of soaps. They're washable, just messy. I'm not sure if it's the same with cold process soaps but these break down and shapeshift (oh my vocab!), like a slime. I use half a bar at a time because obviously it's too big for my grip. My first half lasted less than 10 days, and the smaller it gets, the faster the bar melts.

Unintentionally, I left the other bar on my table between testing out other bars, during which it had time to dry out further. I found out it lasted a bit longer that way. I guess that's partially how ghar soap could last so long_ they're left to dry for a year after all. The other reason is the composition of ingredients used.

For the price and how fancy they are IMO they're great if you want to pamper yourself once in a while. At least for me because on a longer term, I'd choose practicality, with nice enough scent and without the mess.

Scent: ★★★☆☆
Sweat Level: ★★★★★
Long-Lasting: ★☆☆☆☆

#4 Tanamera's 
Toning Green Coffee Body Soap

Tanamera is a local homemade brands that boast all natural plants ingredients in their products and offer a handful of options of bar soaps. I opted for the Toning Green Coffee Body Soap which scent I find most bearable among the soap bars (their liquid one is quite nice)! This is available in Isetan or Shopee.MY at RM30 (100g).

The packaging definitely screams "luxurious".

It does feel like you're in a spa treat when using this soap LOL. I happen to test their liquid hand soap and think its actually nice. Worth the price for the spa-like experience!

Scent: ★★★☆☆
Sweat Level: ☆☆☆☆☆
Long-Lasting: ★★★☆☆

#5 Sabun Society's
Loofah Soap


I love the scent that reminds me of the beach (literally!) so that feels amazing. However, the soap is super slippery and with more use, the newly exposed loofah can be really rough to the skin. I'm sure exfoliating won't turn my skin so red all over. To minimize this, I used the foaming net (very useful!) to wrap and lather up the soap. This one bar can last about a month.

I got this together with a care pack so I don't know the price for just the soap. I looked up their Facebook page and didn't see this listed so I cannot be sure if this is made specially for the care pack or they have discontinued the loofah soaps edition.

Scent: ★★★★★
Sweat Level: ★☆☆☆☆
Long-Lasting: ★★★☆☆



#6 Maitre Savon De Marseille's
Lily of the Valley 

This French brand soap offers a whole variety of scented soap bars _ Lemon, Rose, Green Apple, Olive, Goat's Milk, even Donkey's Milk, Marine (which smells like the sea water! Beach lovers, anyone?) and the list goes on! in two sizes, the 100g bar at RM18.90 and a larger bar approximately RM25 (I don't remember!) from Isetan.


La Corvette Marseille is another brand that carries similar-looking bars but priced higher at RM23.90 for the 100g and RM38.90 for the 200g bar. You probably won't be able to tell these two brands apart when they're placed side-by-side and looking almost alike down to the packaging! Because they're both like hard candy kind (similar to Sabun Society's) and doesn't sweat, they last a good while. Not too bad but its a bit to the pricey end.


Scent: ★★☆☆☆

Sweat Level: ☆☆☆☆☆
Long-Lasting: ★★★★★

~♡~

When I shared with a friend about my plan of trying soap bars especially homemade ones, she raised a concern about the quality of homemade soap that is unlike commercial ones that have more stable PH value. I've read that depending on how homemade soaps are produced, their PH varies and sometimes may be unsuitable for use such as being overly acidic to sensitive skin. So they're fun to try unless you have super sensitive skin.

After trying so many types of soap bars, I have decided that I prefer something without fancy dyes or scents but not totally scentless like the ghar soap! Scent-wise, my favorite among the ones above gotta be the lemongrass and Sabun Society's! Though the most economical ones and  lasting gotta be the commercially available brands such as Shokubutsu (probably the nicest scent besides Dove!). In fact what I have now are mostly supermarket-available brands.

I've got no idea why I stocked up on so many at a time!

all the hair care products you'll ever need

Besides my face, my hair is another part of my body that requires high maintenance. Maybe because over the years they have been subjected to tons of hair dyes and once bleach. Don't ever bleach unless you want to spend a lot to repair it, it's horrible! Also as I work in the office, I do want to look presentable, I won't consider myself super vain (heck, I don't like selfies!) but impression still matters!

So if you have fizzy hair, here are all the tried and tested hair products that truly does wonders. I think it's only in the recent months after using these products that my hair have been in their best condition in years! Thanks to this post you don't have to experiment with other brands that don't really work. You're welcome!

#1 Best Commercial Shampoo 

& Conditioner under RM50

I have no idea what took me so long to trying Dove hair care products (Shopee.MY)! Bought this to interchange with the other higher end shampoo (to stretch my monies) and found it works. Ok, you'd say perhaps its my other shampoo doing the work but I did use this for weeks when I emptied the others and it moisturizes my hair so well! Available in most local supermarket from RM20-RM30 per bottle.

#2 Best Shampoo over RM50

I have 2 brands to introduce but first, gotta share my absolute favorite which is the Goldwell Kerasilk Reconstruct Shampoo (Amazon | Shopee.MY), it has dethroned Midori as a personal favorite because of how longer lasting the effect is. It totally convert my dry and fizzy hair to super smooth. One downside is that my hair got so thin they start to fall but otherwise, I love this lots! Bought it from Hair Zone for RM110 (250ml bottle).

One other brand I want to share is Marc Anthony's 100% Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and Shea Butter Shampoo (Amazon | Shopee.MY) that retails in Watsons at RM51 (250ml tube). I have always wanted to try coconut oil-base shampoos and couldn't find a brand to try until recently. Almost wanted to DIY my own HAHAHA! I think the price is alright considering coconut oil are quite expensive. This shampoo lathers mildly and doesn't spread easily like normal shampoo so I have to use a lot to cover my long hair. Still, feels ultra clean after washing and I'm not sure if it actually strips off the oil or moisture because my hair feels too light weighted. It's the complete opposite to when I use Bioma that seems to make my hair absorb more water literally. The coconut scent is quite strong and can also take some time to getting use to.

#3 Best Hair Treatment

Hands down this goes to Bioma Plant+9 Hair Treatment. For best result, to use 2-3 times a week, leaving it for at least 5-10 minutes before washing off. Optionally, can be use daily like a conditioner if you don't want to let it stay. A tiny bit goes a long way! I've looked around but this appears to be only available at Hair Zone for RM158 or Shopee.MY for less (update: I found the sellers on Shopee are using my photos without permission WTF).

#4 Best Hair Revitalizing Spray

Yet another favorite of mine, the Kosenze Ocean Miracle Spray. I don't really know what to categorize this product as since it's not the kind of spray to set your hair. Best use on lightly toweled dry hair for soft, less frizzy hair plus it smells super good. It's my lazy days remedy when I don't to have the time for conditioner or treatment but need to look presentable. It can also be used as heat protection spray before ironing and for UV-protection. Available in Hair Zone for RM69 (150ml) or Shopee.MY.

#5 Best Hair Oil

I'm not the biggest fan of hair oil, many just leave your hair very greasy and they don't seem to do much besides weighing you hair down. I had vowed never to buy another until Keratase Elixir Ultime (Amazon | Shopee.MY). It does wonders by making my hair look healthy and really brings out the color of your hair (if you dye them). Aside from that, it claims to protect your hair against the heat, and leave it untangled, easier to style, and free from frizz.

Hair Zone carries two brands, I do not remember the other but it has a branded (Is it Chanel or Dior?) eu de parfum infused in it. Apparently it's quite a hot item despite the price and was sold out.

This is another of my lazy day solution and can be use on wet or dry hair. So if I happen to need to go out but did not do treatment or spray the Kosenze Ocean Miracle Spray the night before (I wash my hair at night), this comes in real handy! Also a product which I bought from Hair Zone for RM150 (100ml). I believe you can find it in most other saloons considering Keratase is quite a well-known hair care brand.

#6 Best Hair Ampoules

My favorite thus far is Artizta, again something my hairdresser from Hair Zone recommended at RM45 for each ampule. For one ampule, you can feel and see the difference with results lasting for 2 weeks. It smells heavenly too! Love this so much but can't do it often because it's so pricey to do in the saloon!! Good news though, I look it up and found this online at Shopee.MY for RM160+ 12 vials. I have not tested it out so I cannot vouch on the authenticity of the product on Shopee but definitely keeping in view.

Even though ampoules are pricey, it's economical in a way that after applying it I can just skipped all the conditioning/treatment, hair spray or hair oil for the entire two weeks. Washing your hair isn't an option to skip though.

#7 Best DIY Hair Dyes

I love experimenting with DIY hair dyes and have tried Liese, Herbatint Permanent Hair Color Gel and April Skin Color Treatment _ these in the order of my preferences. Liese bubble hair dye (Amazon | Shopee.MY) is one brand I had used multiple times and it is by far the easiest to use with the most favorable results. Also, the foam makes it super easy to apply and gives you a much even coverage!

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Personally, I wouldn't advice y'all to get everything I list at one go. If I have to choose, a good shampoo and treatment (in replace of hair conditioner) goes a long way! I tend to get a high range shampoo and a lower range (Dove is amazing!) one to interchange just so I don't need to replace the expensive one as frequent LOL. Just a strategy for stretching your dollar.

Then the hair ampules are quite extra but I find they make your hair healthier and the effect last longer so it's worth it!

Finally, the Keratase hair oil and Kosenze spray is my go-to on busy or lazy days because you see results without much fuss though it lasts a day or two. If you can only choose one, then Keratase hair oil it is! I don't use these frequently so it last me over a year (I think it'll be another year before I empty them, so make it two years) that my hair dresser isn't pleased since I'm not her best customer #truestory

That brings me to the end of this post. I know a lot of the products I recommend here are from Hair Zone but I vouch this post is NOT a sponsored post. It's just that I have tried the products recommended by my hair stylists and can see the amazing results they do to my very unruly mane. If you have tried these products based on my recommendation, tell me if they work for you!